Requiem of a Dream
by magicafan1989
Summary: Vicious Plot Bunnny Attack. What if Asuna was allowed to keep her memories? How would that change the outcome of Negi's encounters at Mahora? Rated T for safety. Slight Asuna-centric. All other things secret. Chapter 8 finally up!
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm only going to say this once: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey Manga, and all other respective proprietors. I am merely writing this fanfiction as a tribute to my favorite manga.

**A/N**: What you are about to read is the result of a vicious plot bunny attack. I may continue this, or I may not. I started thinking about how Negima would change if Asuna was allowed to keep her memories and "adopted" by Takamichi without changing her surname. All of a sudden, this plot bunny came up out of nowhere. So I won't blow too much here, but main couples will be Negi x Nodoka and Asuna x Ayaka. All other things shall be secret. Enjoy

_Hello_ = thoughts

_Hello_ = memories/flashbacks

Hello = regular speech

**Hello** = foreign language

* * *

Prologue

"_Hey Takamichi, you got a light?"_

_The young, white-haired man knelt down and pulled out a lighter. The older man leaned forward and dipped the cigarette into the small flame. Pulling away, he inhaled deeply, taking a puff of the nicotine and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Reclining against a tree, he sighed._

"_Ah, much better."_

_He reached up and wiped a trickle of blood that was seeping out of the corner of his mouth. After bringing his hand back down, he looked up at the young man and said, "Listen, Takamichi-kun, get yourselves out of here. It won't be long until they catch up. Get as far away as you can." _

"_But sensei..."_

"_Go. Don't waste any time!" Drops of water landed on his hand as he turned and looked at the other figure present._

"_Tears? Heh... that's a first. I'm proud of you."_

_The little figure, a girl with long red hair tied back into twin ponytails by two bell decorations, shook with emotion, trying to hold back her tears. The old man brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped away a few stray tears._

"_Listen to me. I want you to grow up and live a happy life. You deserve it." He turned back to the young man and said, "_**Takamichi-kun, make sure you erase her memories of all that has happened to her, okay?**_"_

_Takamichi could only nod silently as the young girl began to cry even more, unable to hold her tears back._

"_Farewell, Princess. Live long and well, okay?"_

_The man closed his eyes, the cigarette falling from his limp figure._

"_NO! GATEAU-SAN! YOU CAN'T! I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE!" the girl screamed at the top of her lungs, her tears now cascading out of her mismatched eyes._

First, Nagi. Now, Gateau-san too...


	2. The New Teacher is A Kid!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey Manga, and all other respective proprietors

**Chapter Rating: **

* * *

Chapter 1: The New Teacher is... A Kid?

_Mahora Academy, Present Day_

As the first rays of light shone over the Land of the Rising Sun, they playfully danced across the sleeping figure of one Konoka Konoe. Grousing slightly at the interruption of the good dream she was having, she sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her chocolate-colored eyes. Slowly she stepped down from her bunk and into the pink slippers that sat waiting at the bottom of the small ladder, their warmth washing over her cold feet. She looked toward the a sofa occupied the room, smiling softly at the sleeping figures leaning against each other in soft slumber, all manner of papers, coloring utensils, and glitter littered on the floor near the small table that sat close to the couch.

_Mou... I'm amazed that they stayed up all night just preparing a few things for our new teacher_, she thought as she hummed a small ditty before trudging over to the figures. She shook the figure closest to her, a young lady about her age with long blonde hair.

"Ne... Iinchou, it's morning. I'll make you two breakfast, okay?"

Ayaka Yukihiro, the Class President of 2-A, sat up, rubbing the sleep from her heavy eyes as she said, "Sorry Konoka-san, we'll be up shortly." The teen nodded and continued humming her ditty while heading to the small kitchenette in their dorm room. Ayaka, meanwhile, leaned over and gently shook her human pillow, a redhead. A pair of mismatched eyes, one green and the other blue, opened and seemingly smiled gently.

"Good morning, Ayaka," the redhead greeted her. The blonde smiled back and said, "And good morning to you, Asuna. Are you all right? I heard you muttering in your sleep again."

Asuna Kagurazaka nodded and said, "I'm fine. I just had a bad dream."

"Is it the same one?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but it's nothing to worry about. Just a part of my memories that I can't seem to let go of..."

* * *

_Ten Years Ago_

_For how long they had run, she did not know. All she knew was that the two people who had meant the world to her were gone. First, Nagi had vanished without a trace, leaving the others to presume he had died. Now, Gateau had died as well, defending her from the agents of Megalomesembria who sought to use her powers again. She began to fall behind the one man left who helped protect her. Takamichi turned around to pick her up._

"_Come on, Princess. We're not that far from the Gate! If we can make it, we're home free! Just hang on to me, all right?"_

_Ten minutes later, they found themselves at the building in question. Two guards stepped forward to block their way. Immediately, Takamichi pulled out a small key from his pocket. Instantaneously, it grew to the size of a staff and floated alongside of him._

I did not want to have to use this, but I've got no choice!

_Thrusting out his hand toward the two guards, the young man shouted, "Erase!" A beam of light emitted from the key and enshrouded the guards, dispersing them into nothingness. With a final burst of adrenaline, he leaped the distance from the entrance and landed in the center of a stone structure. The structure hummed to life and washed them in a white light. When the light dispersed, the duo found themselves in the middle of a similar structure. This one, however, sat in the middle of an open field. A light, moonlit mist covered the area, obscuring their path of vision by about three meters._

So this is Mundus Vetus, eh?

_He turned his head to ensure that his little passenger was still with him. She was hanging on to his neck, softly breathing in slumber. The sight made his heart melt in compassion._

I can't erase her memories. I know that you requested it of me, sensei, but I can't bring myself to do this to her. She needs to remember. Only then can she come to grips with her past and live a happy life. I'm sorry, sensei.

_When she had opened her eyes, she found herself in a small tent, the early rays of the morning sun illuminating it. Rubbing her face with small hands, she stepped out of the tent to see Takamichi gazing over a valley below. Her footsteps alerted him to her presence. He turned and said, "Good morning, Princess."_

"_So, are you going to do it?"_

"_Pardon?"_

"_Erase my memories? Just like Gateau-san asked you to do?"_

_Knowing he couldn't bring himself to lie about what she had heard, he knelt down and said, "I thought over it and decided to let you keep your memories. That way, you can remember the sacrifice he made for you so that you could live a long and happy life."_

_Tears started to well up in her eyes again as she said, "But how can I? I'm a monster! Don't you understand that? I'm nothing! I was born to destroy what I did not create; to be used as a weapon! How can I live a happy life knowing these things?"_

_Takamichi leaned in and embraced the young girl, whispering softly, "I can help you, but you got to promise me that you will never call yourself a monster again. You're not a monster, Asuna-chan. You are a human being, capable of feeling emotion. Your first step was sorrow. I can help you remember how to feel those things that they took away from you. Just trust me, all right?"_

_Asuna rubbed the tears from here eyes and said, "All right, but can I call you Father? After all, you're the only father figure left to me."_

_The young man chuckled._

"_As long as I can call you Asuna-chan. Deal?"_

_

* * *

_

_Present Day_

"Itadakimasu, Konoka!"

With that said, the three friends dug into fresh scrambled eggs, bacon links, and pancakes, courtesy of Konoka's cooking. Though both Asuna and Ayaka were capable of cooking, their cheery, yet loveably airheaded friend always insisted on cooking out of the goodness of her heart. Asuna had complimented her once in saying she would be great at healing people through her kind words and generosity.

Once breakfast had been consumed, they dressed in their school uniforms and made their way by foot toward Mahora Academy's junior high school building. The distance between the junior high dormitories and campus was fairly wide that most of the students chose to ride the tram that ran between the dormitories for the various schools and their respective buildings. However, since time was on their side today, the three friends made their way by foot, or rather, Konoka made her way by roller-blades. Ayaka and Asuna managed to keep pace at a brisk jog.

Several minutes later, they found themselves on the main campus, nearly being bowled over by the sudden stampede of middle school girls running from the train station. The redhead cursed herself inwardly, forgetting that today was the first day of the new term.

"Asuna, is your father still teaching us this year?"

Asuna turned to Konoka and said, "I don't think so. Last I heard from him was that there's a new teacher for our English class. Apparently, it's someone that he knows. I almost forgot, didn't your grandfather need us to meet at his office in order to greet the new teacher?"

"Hai, I believe so."

"Then I shall see you two in class then," Ayaka said, waving at the other two and taking off toward the junior-high building. Asuna waved at her back as she and Konoka diverted their course slightly. However, an unusual gust of wind kicked up. Catching motion out of her peripheral, she turned her glance to her left. Keeping pace with them was a boy who looked to be no more than ten years old. He wore a cloak made of khaki material. On his back sat a child-sized camping bag and a bandaged staff of some sort. The boy smiled at her, his brown eyes shining through a small pair of spectacles perched on his nose, and said, "Sorry to butt in, but you'll find true happiness one of these days."

Asuna stopped in her tracks.

_How dare he... and a ten-year-old at that too!_

She picked up the offender by the cloak and brought him to her eye-level.

"Listen here, you little brat! I don't care how old or young you are, but that is no way to speak to those older than you, you hear?"

"Ne, Asuna, he's just a kid," Konoka chided her gently. As Asuna set the fearful boy down, Konoka came over and knelt down slightly.

"Hello, little boy. You do realize that this is Mahora Academy, an all-girl's school? The elementary is one more station down. Do you think you can find it on your own?"

"I... I uh..." the boy managed to stammer. Asuna was looking him over briefly when a sudden feeling of déjà vu struck her. The boy's spiky hair was a reddish-brown, yet the lower half was colored black and held in a small ponytail.

_It couldn't be him... could it?_

Her thoughts were jarred as a voice rang out from a window above them.

"Ohayou, Asuna-chan! I hope you aren't being too rough on that boy."

She looked up, catching the sight of Takamichi T. Takahata in the upper window. She waved up at him.

"Ohayou, otou-san! Konoka and I were just telling this brat that the elementary..."

"Takamichi! Long time no see!" the little boy interrupted her.

Konoka stood to the side, holding a finger to her chin as a look of amused confusion crossed her face.

_How could this kid know Takahata-sensei?_

"How do you know my otou-san? I want some answers you little squirt!" Asuna growled dangerously as she threatened to pick him up again.

"Now, now! What have I told you Asuna-chan? Just take him in stride. After all, Negi, I never would've thought of you being a teacher, and at such a young age too. Negi-sensei, who'd have ever thought." Asuna felt her jaw drop slightly as she turned back to the kid.

"Did he just call you...?" Konoka asked the boy.

The boy cleared his throat slightly and bowed politely.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ladies. My name is Negi Springfield, and I'm going to be your new English teacher."

The look of puzzlement on Konoka's face deepened only further as Asuna started violently.

_Springfield? If it isn't him, then it has to be his son... I didn't even know he had a son! But how could he have when he died nearly ten years ago? What is going on here?_

_

* * *

_

"Oh, ho-ho-ho. So they assigned you as a teacher for your training, eh? Well my boy, I can only wish you good luck on your endeavor here. It will be quite a challenge to teach a classroom full of teenage girls. I only hope for your success."

"Thank you, Dean Konoe," young Negi said and bowed to the old man seated behind the desk. The Dean, and Konoka's grandfather, chuckled as he said, "By the way, if you are in need of a girlfriend, my granddaughter here is available."

Asuna sweat-dropped as Konoka lightly hit the dean on the top of his head, saying, "Thanks a lot, Grandpa."

"But let me tell you this, Negi-kun: if you fail here in your training, there will be no second chances. Understood?"

Swallowing hard, the boy bowed his head slightly and replied, "Understood, except I will not fail. I promise you on that Dean Konoe."

"Very well then. I'll let Shizuna-sensei get you situated in the faculty room and lead you to your classroom. Ah, here she is now."

Negi turned and collided with the chest of a rather busty, blonde woman. He looked up into a bespectacled face that was smiling at him.

"So you must be Negi-sensei, then? I'm Shizuna. If you need any help, then feel free to ask me a question," the woman said in a soothing tone.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Shizuna-sensei," the boy said, quickly backing away and bowing in apology.

"Your most certainly welcome. Now if you'll please come with me," she said, beckoning toward the door.

"You two young ladies may return to your classroom," Dean Konoe said. Konoka hugged her grandfather and ran out the room. However, Asuna remained behind.

"Something troubles you, Asuna-kun?"

"Is he his son?"

"The answer to your question would be yes."

Asuna shook her head in denial, saying, "But how? He died ten years ago! And that kid can't be ten? He looks to be about nine!"

The Dean stood up and put a wrinkled hand on her shoulder, speaking in a reassuring tone.

"Listen to me, Princess. I know you've come a long way from that time. But you forget that Nagi was a man of legend. He went missing, and the world presumes he's dead. You need to have more faith. That boy is living proof that his legacy lives on, regardless of whether he did perish or not. All I ask of you is to help guide him along the way. And you shall tell him, when the time is right, yes?"

Asuna nodded and said, "I'll try my best, Dean. I only pray he doesn't do anything foolish. Seeing that he is his son, he'll probably carry his father's recklessness as well."

* * *

**A/N**: I hope you are enjoying this reimagining so far. Up next, Negi's secret is revealed, but to whom? And how will he react when he finds out that Asuna is a "mage" like him? Stay tuned to find out.

Do me a favor and click the button below. After all, reviews are food for thought, and the author's mind can't be kept starving.


	3. Sensei, You're a Mage?

**A/N**: Sorry for this short chapter. Do not worry though, the next one will be longer, I can assure you of that.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima or any of the characters involved. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey manga, and all other respective proprietors.

* * *

Chapter 2: Sensei, You're a Mage?

After Shizuna had helped Negi get situated in the faculty office, she escorted the young professor to the classroom. Eventually, they reached their destination.

"Well, here we are Negi-kun."

The boy looked in through a small window in the door. The inside of the classroom was a madhouse, though to say that in the least would be an understatement. Though there was no destructive behavior going on, the gaggle of girls were in various groups, conversing amongst themselves whilst a few of them focused on various other activities.

"They are quite an active bunch," Shizuna chuckled.

"What am I going to do? I don't think I'm ready for this," the young boy said with uncertainty, tugging slightly at the collar of his suit. The older woman smiled at him and said, "You'll do just fine, Negi-kun. Oh, here. Takahata wanted me to give this to you. He said you'd find it quite useful."

He took the small book from her hands and opened it. It appeared to be a class seating chart, complete with pictures of each of the girls. Mentally, he added them all up, his face full distress now.

"Thirty-one girls? How am I going to remember all of their names?"

"It'll take some time, but you'll get it eventually," Shizuna said reassuringly. Before she could open the door for Negi to enter, Asuna came up and said, "Excuse me for my tardiness, Shizuna-sensei. I had to talk to Dean Konoe about something."

"It's not a problem at all, Asuna-kun. Go ahead and take your seat."

Slipping by the duo, the redhead entered the classroom and shut the door behind her. Finally swallowing hard, Negi proceeded to knock on the door. Almost instantaneously, the commotion quieted down. Praying that this was a good sign, he slid open the door and stepped in slightly. His senses alerted him to an object falling toward the top of his head. Closing his eyes, he quietly muttered, "_Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister!_" The falling object slowed down and hovered slightly above his head.

When he opened his eyes, he became aware of two people watching him. One was a girl with short, violet colored hair that covered most of her face. The other was Asuna, who then reached for something dangling about her neck. Negi could almost swear that she was muttering something under her breath as he saw her lips move slightly. The object, which happened to be an eraser from the chalkboard, hit him on the head, showering him in chalk dust. Chuckling lightly, he said, "An eraser on the head? I thought Japanese schoolgirls were more creative than that."

How soon he would find out that he spoke too soon. He had not walked but a few steps when he hit a trip wire and fell forward, his head landing in an empty bucket. Rubber arrows shot from somewhere in the back of the room and hit the bucket, causing a resounding clang to echo in his ears. Most of the class giggled, glad that their prank worked when they saw Negi materialize from the bucket. A few of them rushed forward, helping him out of his predicament.

"Are you okay?"

"Is he a kid?"

"Maybe he's a midget."

"We're so sorry! We mistook you for our new teacher."

"Actually," Shizuna replied, "he _is_ your new teacher. Girls, please take your seats while the professor introduces himself."

Negi swallowed hard as he stepped in front of the class. He opened his mouth, only to have a nervous squeak emit. Sighing deeply, he managed to stammer a bit before speaking clearly.

"H... he... hello girls. My name is Negi Springfield. I'm your new English teacher for this semester. I hope to teach you all that I know."

There was a moment of silence as the entire class of girls digested what he told them. Then, in one voice, over half of them shouted, "Kawaii!" and rushed forward, almost smothering him with affection and questions.

"How old are you?"

"Um... ten."

"Where did you come from?"

"I'm from Wales."

"Did he say 'whales'?"

"No, I believe Wales is somewhere in England."

"Um... actually it borders England..."

"How could this adorable little cupcake be a teacher?"

"He must be a genius! Say something intelligent for us, please?"

A loud bang sounded out as Ayaka slammed her hand down on her desk. Standing up, she said loudly, "Everyone, be quiet! How do you expect Negi-sensei to introduce himself if you keep suffocating him?"

Those who were swarming Negi backed off slowly. The young teacher bowed politely and said, "Arigatou, uh..."

The blonde smiled warmly at him and returned the bow, saying, "Yukihiro Ayaka, Class President of 2-A. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, Negi-sensei."

* * *

_Two Hours Later_

Negi sat down at a fountain somewhere a ways away from the junior high building, sighing almost dejectedly. His first day was a bit less than impressive. Most of the time he spent teaching was interrupted by random questions and other intrusions. What sat on his mind the most was the fact the his stunt with the eraser had been seen by two people, one of which was possibly a mage.

_No, she couldn't be. I didn't feel any magical aura in the room other than my own. Hopefully, they don't remember seeing anything._

Looking in his class roster, he searched the pictures until he found who he was looking for.

_Miyazaki Nodoka, Library Expedition Club, Book Club, Volunteer Librarian. I might have to alter her memory if she brings up the eraser._

He then found Asuna's picture and read the text underneath of it.

_Kagurazaka Asuna, Art Club. Hmm, what's this?_ His eyes caught sight of some handwriting which appeared to belong to Takahata.

_Talk to her if you need help. But what kind of help could he mean?_

The sound of approaching footsteps made him look up at the stairs a short distance away. The figure of a girl carrying a large stack of books appeared and began making a slow, steady descent. Upon careful examination, Negi identified her as Nodoka, mostly in part to the color of her hair and the fact that she was carrying books.

_That stack of books looks heavy. If she's not careful, she could..._

Nodoka took one step down but lost her balance. She fell over the edge of the stairs, screaming as her body and the books descended toward the pavement below. Negi reacted on instinct, pulling out his staff and softly chanting, "**Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister! Aer!**" Upon finishing his incantation, a gust of wind kicked up and swirled underneath of the librarian, levitating her until Negi could run forward and leap under her to catch her.

Noticing that she had fainted, he supported her back slightly, saying in a concerned tone, "Miyazaki-san, please tell me you're all... right... uh-oh." He looked up from Nodoka's inert body to that of a shorter girl with long purple hair tied up in two ponytails at the back and two braids at the front, her eyes wide with shock.

"Negi-sensei... you... you're... you're a..."

* * *

**A/N**: With Negi's secret revealed to at least one person, what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out. Oh, and please do feed my brain by clicking the button below. My mind can't be kept starving.


	4. Busted!

**A/N**: Sorry this one took a bit longer than normal, and it is another short one *shot*. Life decided to mess with me for a bit, but here is the next installment of the book. Hope you enjoy it!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. All characters, events, etc. are owned by Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey Manga, and all respective proprietors.

* * *

Chapter 3: Busted!

"Negi-sensei... y... you... you're a... mage?" the purple hair girl asked, her eyes wide as dinner plates. Negi mentally identified the girl as student #4, Ayase Yue.

_How much of that did she see? I'm going to be stripped of my powers for sure now! What am I going to do?_

The only thing the boy teacher could manage to say was, "Um... I can explain..." He felt Nodoka stirring in his arms as she came to, saying softly, "Ugh... sensei?"

Before any of them could act, someone, or something, came dashing out of nowhere and picked up both Negi and the still shocked Yue. Negi felt the wind searing at his eyes and shut them, tears beginning to form up. Their "abductor" ran with them into the nearby grove of trees, depositing the short girl on the ground and slamming Negi into a tree.

"**What are you playing at, baka? Trying to get our cover here blown?**" the voice demanded in perfect English, though the accent was still heavily Japanese. Negi opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of Asuna Kagurazaka.

"Eeek! Asuna-san, you saw too? Oh no, I'm done for!"

"**Damn straight! You better hope they don't turn you into an ermine because of that little display!**" the redhead continued angrily in English.

"**Wait a minute, how can you speak English? Are you a mage too?**" Negi asked, his eyes now as wide as Yue's, who still stood by watching the little scene unfold, though she understood very little of what was being exchanged.

"**That's of little importance to the matter. Right now, you have something to take care of! How well do you know memory erasure spells?**"

"**I can do a minor memory spell that can make her forget what she saw,**" the boy mage said, trying to get Asuna to loosen her grip on his shirt collar slightly.

"Excuse me, but what is going on here?" Yue cried out, half in distress and half in anger, causing the two to look her way. Asuna slowly put down Negi, who was still gripping onto his staff the entire time. The redhead gazed at Negi with her mismatched eyes, giving him a look that said _Well, get to it_. The boy mage nodded and turned to Yue.

"Yes, Yue-san, I am a mage. Now that you know my secret, I'm afraid I'm going to have to alter your memory."

"Wait... what?" the purple-haired girl shrieked, her purple eyes becoming wider and her skin becoming pale. Negi pointed the bandaged staff at her, the binding loosening slightly at the tip as a gust of wind began to kick up.

"Now you may forget a little bit more than I intend to make you forget, so I apologize."

"Wait a minute! Can't we discuss this thing rationally?"

"**Abite! Defluere!**"

Asuna rushed forward and cried out, "Not that one, baka!" but she was too late. Yue watched in horror as her skirt and undergarments were shredded to pieces by the blowing wind. Negi's face immediately went red as a cherry, and he quickly looked away to save the poor girl any further embarrassment. Yue covered her self and started tearing up before letting out a shriek that could blow out one's ear drums.

* * *

_Half an Hour Later_

Negi didn't know whether to consider it good or bad luck that Ayaka had happened to be nearby when Yue screamed. Partially, it was good luck because the Class President happened to have some spare clothing so as to save Yue any further embarrassment, but it was bad luck because when the blonde teenager had asked what had happened, Asuna willingly and wholly explaining what had happened. Thankfully, to spare Negi any more trouble than he needed, Ayaka knew about magic all ready, explaining to the boy mage that she was Asuna's partner.

As the three students and their teacher made their way back to the dormitories, Yue finally spoke up and asked, "So, if you are a mage, why did they send you here? Are you on some sort of mission?"

Negi said, "I recently graduated from the Magic Academy. They give you a final task that you must complete in order to receive certification as a proper mage. I have to train until I reach the age of eighteen."

"In short, Yuecchi, he's an apprentice who still has _a lot_ of learning to do," Asuna added.

"I'm not an apprentice! I graduated at the top of my class along with my childhood friend and am versed in two types of magic," the boy mage said indignantly.

"Well, your still in a probationary period. In my book, that's still an apprentice."

"And I thought things like this were only in fantasy novels; just a figment of human imagination," Yue said in a bland, philosophical tone of voice, one that was signature to all who knew her. She turned to Negi and inquired, "Is it possible for one to learn this power?"

Asuna flat-handed Negi on the back of the head, chastising him in English.

"**How are you going to get out of this one, genius?**"

He knew he was in a spot. It was bad enough that Yue had discovered his powers, but now she was asking him to teach her magic.

_What did I do to deserve this?_

Realizing he only had one option left, he turned to her and said, "If it is what you want, I can teach you how to use magic. But you must promise me that you will tell no one about my secret."

"Understood, sensei. When shall we begin?"

"As soon as I get myself situated with the class and living arrangements. Speaking of which, I have nowhere to go as of yet. I forgot to ask Dean Konoe about it."

"The Dean asked me specifically to room you so I could watch over you," Asuna said, "Just try not to get into to much trouble. Konoka and I work very hard to keep that room clean."

Eventually, they found themselves at the dorm facilities. Negi looked up in awe at the size of the building. Turning to Ayaka, he asked, "Iinchou-san, how many students live here."

"Well, Negi-sensei, these are the junior high dormitories. There are 24 divisions in the school, each with three years and thirty students. I think you can figure out how many are in there," the blonde replied with a warm smile that reminded Negi of his cousin Nekane, whom he had always affectionately called his sister.

_Amazing! To think this place, let alone this building, is home to over a thousand junior-high students! What kind of a place is this? If only Onee-chan could be here to see this!_

Upon entering one of the rooms, the small party was greeted by party poppers and the sound of the class saying in unison, "Welcome to Mahora Academy, Negi-sensei!" The evening would pass with many festivities, from a display of martial arts by Kû Fei and Chao Lingshen, to a rhythmic gymnastics performance by the pink-haired Makie Sasaki. Even the food, prepared by Satsuki Yotsuba, class 2-A's meal officer, was to die for. As Negi sat back and watched all that was going on, he thought to himself, _Perhaps my stay here won't be so bad after all._

From the corner of the room, in an obscure location, a girl of about the same age as Negi watched him, her face concealed by the shadows cast from the lights and a long curtain of blonde hair.

_Just you wait, son of the Thousand Master. When the full moon comes, your life will be forfeit to me, and after fifteen long years, I'll finally be free of this hell.

* * *

_

**Abite! Defluere!** = If you've seen the first Mahou Sensei Negima manga, this is the spell Negi uses in an attempt to erase Asuna's memories of her seiing his magic, but you all should know the result of that one XD

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	5. The Baka Rangers

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. All characters, events, etc. are owned by Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey Manga, and all respective proprietors.

**A/N: **I know, I know. Many of you are probably going to shoot me for not updating this sooner. Writer's block can be a bitch some times. Work doesn't help at all either. But, after such a long time of not updating, here's the newest chapter in "Requiem of a Dream". Enjoy!

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Chapter 4: The Baka Rangers

_A Few Days Later_

"KYAAAAAA!"

**SMACK!**

"You miniature pervert! What the hell are doing up in my bed?" Asuna shrieked at the uninvited guest lying in her bunk next to her. The guest in question, which happened to be Negi, woke up rubbing his cheek and mumbling, "**Sorry, Sis. I…** Gah! Asuna-san! Gomen nasai, I didn't mean to! You see, I'm used to sleeping in the same bed as my sister and…"

"Sheesh! You're ten years old and you still sleep with an older sibling? What kind of mage are you, let alone teacher?"

"Gomen nasai, gomen nasai! I said I didn't mean to!"

"Ne, Asuna. Wush goin' on?" a very sleepy Konoka inquired as she rubbed the fatigue from her eyes.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Nodoka was jarred from her peaceful dreams by Asuna's scream and the sound of someone's palm making contact with flesh. Peering upward from under the lower bunk she slept in, she asked, "Yue, what's with all the commotion?"

The young philosopher, who had been reading a book at the time, turned her head toward the side of her bunk and replied, "Oh, Negi-sensei is boarding with Asuna-san and Konoka-san."

"Is that so... WAIT! WHAT?"

"Calm down Nodoka. Just because our new teacher is in the room next door, it doesn't mean you have to freak out like that. Right, Paru?"

Haruna Saotome, known to her friends and the members of the Academy as Paru-sama, made a small grunt of agreement as she sat hunched over her latest work. Although she dedicated time to the library, her greatest achievement was her wildly popular manga series "Mahou Shoujo". However, upon hearing the status of Negi's sleeping arrangements, the teenaged mangaka's brilliant, albeit perverse, mind began to whir and click.

_Hm, a young boy bunking with two girls who are older than him? This will be some killer material for my next hit! Look out Mahora, Paru-sama is back in action!_

_A Few Hours Later_

Negi walked alongside Takamichi as both were heading toward their classes for the morning. The young mage looked up to the older man and said, "You never told me you had a daughter, Takamichi."

"Well, Negi-kun, Asuna is my adopted daughter. I won't go into much detail, but her parents were killed in a horrific event several years back. I came upon her and decided to take her under my wing." He chuckled lightly as he continued, "She sure did take a shining to me and asked if it was okay for her to call me her father. So, I accepted."

When they had reached the door to 2-A's room, Takamichi put his hand on Negi's shoulder and said, "Have fun with them today. Oh, and you may want to consider after-school tutoring. It is your job as a teacher as well," then proceeded to walk further down the hall. Negi swallowed slightly. Even though this was his second day of teaching, he still felt a bit nervous. Opening the door, he heard the voice of Nodoka call out, "Rise! Attention!" The entire class did as instructed and chorused together, "Kon'nichiwa, Negi-sensei!"

"Kon'nichiwa girls; I thought I would start off today with a brief lesson and a short quiz to see where all of you are so far. Now, if you would all turn to page 153."

After the reading, along with the help of some student volunteers, was finished, Negi handed out the quizzes and said, "After you are finished, please bring your quizzes up to me. Those whose names I put on the board when all of you are finished will need to stay behind."

As the class progressed, the girls began to slowly bring up their exams for grading. By the time half the class was finished, there were two names on the board: Kû Fei and Kaede Nagase. Soon joining their ranks was Makie Sasaki and Yue. Shortly thereafter, the bells rang, signaling the end of the school day. As the girls filed out, Negi called out, "Asuna-san, Iinchou-san, could I have you two stay behind for a little bit as well?"

Asuna came back into the class and took her seat back at her desk, Ayaka doing the same. Much to Negi's dismay, Nodoka and Haruna also remained behind. Yue looked about her and said, "Looks like the Baka Rangers have reunited once again this year."

"But we short one member, aru" the Chinese girl replied in broken Japanese.

"Asuna-dono will always be an honorary member, de gozaru," the squint-eyed Kaede said reassuringly.

"Hey, don't lump me in with you guys," Asuna said in a slight tone of irritation.

"Why not, Asuna-san," the pink haired Makie said in a rather hurt tone of voice, "After all, you were part of us."

"Look, I didn't want to disappoint my father, all right? That's why I dedicated myself more to my studies."

"All right girls, please take your seats."

Gathering himself together, Negi proceeded to pull out a small stack of quizzes with ten questions on them. Walking up to the four girls, he said, "Okay girls, as a teacher, it's my duty to try to help improve your test scores and your grades in this class. We'll start with a short quiz. You stay behind until you score six points or higher. Okay?"

"Hai," the four girls chimed as Negi walked forward and handed each of them a quiz sheet. In a matter of a few minutes, Yue approached the young teacher's desk and said, "Sensei, I'm finished." Nodding, he took the paper from her and graded it.

"Wow, Yue-san. You scored a nine. How come you don't perform like this during classes?"

"I hate studying," the purple-haired girl replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't see why you should hate it," Negi replied, "After all, if you did even a bit, your test scores would improve dramatically, seeing as how intelligent you are."

Nodoka and Haruna proceeded to head toward the door.

"You coming Yue?" the black-haired, bespectacled mangaka inquired.

"Actually, Paru, I'll catch up with you and Nodoka later. I've got a few questions for Negi-sensei as soon as the others are finished."

A slight look of suspicion crossed Haruna's features for a minute, but she shrugged it off and said, "All right. We'll see you later then." Haruna then headed out the doorway at a brisk jog. Nodoka, however, paused and turned to Negi, bowing politely before trotting off after her friend. Soon afterward, Makie, Kû, and Kaede all stood and said, "We're finished sensei!"

Negi graded the papers, but none of them had scored above a six. He looked at them with worry at which they rubbed the back of their heads in embarrassment. Handing them a new quiz, he stood up and pointed at the chalkboard with a ruler and said, "All right girls, let's try this again: I am, you are, he is, she is, we are, they are..."

The second go around produced the same results. Negi became even more determined to get them to succeed. On the third try, Kaede and Kû succeeded with 7 points each.

"Well done girls. I think with a bit more time and dedication, you can succeed better."

Kaede bowed and proceeded out the door whilst Kû rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and said in broken Japanese, "I Chinese. Is already hard speaking Japanese. Even harder speak English."

"Perhaps a regular after-school tutor program might be able to help you, and I'd be more than happy to help you with that."

"Arigatou Negi-kun. See you later, aru!"

Smiling, he proceeded to head toward Makie.

"How's it coming along, Makie-san?"

The pink-haired gymnast handed Negi her quiz, an apprehensive look in her eyes. He graded the paper and showed it to her.

"Six points. You just barely made it Makie-san. Well done. I think with a bit more dedication to studies, you can improve a lot."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I do," Negi said encouragingly.

"I'll try my best, Negi-kun," the girl replied cheerfully before skipping out the door. As soon as it closed behind her, Negi turned to Yue, Asuna, and Ayaka, focusing his attention more on the purple-haired philosopher.

"Yue-san, if you wish to learn magic today, I suggest we move somewhere else where we won't draw too much attention."

"The school building itself has a library. No one is usually in there at this time."

"But Haruna-san and Nodoka-san..."

"We volunteer at the academy's library. Each building has its own library, but the whole academy has a library that is open to all students."

Asuna stood up and said, "Well, shall we then?"

As the four youths left the room, the redhead fell back in line with Negi and said, "**You better hope no one catches us.**"

Their venture, however, was being monitored by the blonde-haired girl who had watched the boy-teacher the night before at his welcoming party. She scowled slightly as she watched them through a window on the outside, her figure hidden by the thick foliage of an oak tree.

_This is not good. I can't reach him when he's in a group._ Her senses alerted her to a lone figure walking nearby. She looked down and saw Makie Sasaki walking along, humming to herself as she walked towards Sakura Lane.

_Hm. If I can't get him alone, then I can bait him out with his precious students_.

The gymnast walked along, blissfully unaware of the dark presence that stalked her every move.

_Some Time Later..._

As the door closed behind the group, Yue turned around and locked them.

"This way, no one can come in unless they have a key," the purple-haired girl said in what sounded to be a confident yet reassuring tone of voice.

Negi stood in awe at the size of the library. If he had thought the library back at Merdiana was big, then the junior-high library was massive. Rows upon rows of bookshelves lined with books dating back to the early 19th Century stood, the evening sun casting a faint orange hue upon the old and worn leather bindings. Asuna cleared her throat loudly, bringing the young mage out of his stupor. He blushed slightly out of embarrassment and turned toward Yue.

"Casting magic is the practice of using one's own power to gather the elemental energies about them and concentrate the energy to a single point. A wand or staff of some kind is usually used." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two wands, one tipped with a star and the other tipped with a crescent moon. He handed the moon-tipped wand to Yue raised his own slightly above his shoulder.

"The incantation I want you use is '_Practe Bigi Nar Ardescat_.' Allow me to demonstrate. _Practe Bigi Nar Ardescat_." As he said _Ardescat_, he brought his wand down straight in front of him, just below his shoulder. A small, orange tongue of flame appeared at the tip of the wand. He smiled at Yue, who appeared to be unusually focused, more so than she was in classes. Flicking his wand, he caused the flame to disappear.

"That is what should happen. Now, give it a try, Yue-san."

The purple-haired raised her wand and attempted what the boy-mage had shown her just a few minutes earlier.

"_Practe Big Nar Ardescat_!" but there was no flame. A heavy air of gloom could almost be seen about Yue. Negi waved his arms and said encouragingly, "It's all right! No one usually ever gets it on their first try! We'll just try it again. Now, _Practe Big Nar…_"

Asuna and Ayaka merely sat to one side as the young teacher tried repeatedly to help the purple-haired philosopher successfully cast a small flame. The blonde turned to her friend and said, "So, is he the son of that man that you used to tell me about when we were younger?"

The redhead nodded.

"He is his son."

The blonde smiled and looked back at the duo, chuckling as the young teacher kept encouraging Yue that she could succeed on her first day of learning. Asuna sighed as she watched Negi's attempts, memories flooding her mind as she recalled her first encounter with Nagi.

_Years Ago_

"Ἑκατοντάκις καὶ κιλιάκις ἀστραψάτω! Κιλιπλ Ἀστραπέ_!"_

_A blast of lightning tore through the monsters, destroying most of them. Two other men attacked; one, masked by a robe, used magic and the other used what appeared to be a long blade of some design she had never seen. The old mage who stood guard over her could only watch in amazement. The trio landed on the large, marble platform where she was chained. The one who had cast the lightning spell, a strange fellow with spiky red hair turned to the old one and said, "Don't worry! Well take care of things from here."_

_The mage stood, flabbergasted by the young man's bold declaration._

"_What… But did you see the number of enemies out there! What can you people expect to…?"_

_The man brushed off his remark._

"_Who do you think I am geezer? I am the most powerful mage in the world."_

_The robed mage muttered to where only the young mage could hear._

"_It doesn't sound very convincing when you still have to look at pocket notes when chanting spells though."_

"_Shut up, Al," the young mage retorted indignantly. _

"_Besides, with your strength alone," the robed one rebuked, "no matter how powerful it may be, it won't be enough to change the world."_

"_I said shut up, Al. I'm just doing things the way I like, that's all. Stupid." He turned, taking notice of her finally. He knelt down in front of her and rubbed one of her cheeks comfortingly._

"_Hey there little girl. What's your name?"_

"_Na… me…" she said slowly, almost without any trace of emotion. She then continued to speak in the same fashion._

"_Asuna… Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia."_

_The young mage smiled and said, "Oi, that's one long name you got there, but it's very nice. Asuna." He stood up and joined his comrades. Looking back at her, he said, "Wait right here Asuna. We'll be back for you, okay?"_

Asuna was jarred from her reminiscences as a knocking on the door of the library sounded out. Negi froze, but Yue acted quickly, stowing her wand in her pocket and putting Negi's back in his own. A frantic voice sounded out through the door.

"Professor Negi, are you in there?"

Negi walked forward nervously and unlocked the door slowly as to make sure the person behind it did not know it was locked. He opened it and was greeted by a frantic, lilac-haired young girl.

"Izumi-san, what's wrong?"

Ako Izumi, class 2-A's health officer and a student nurse, cried, "Something's wrong with Makie! I found her collapsed in Sakura Lane!"

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**A/N:** I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up, but I'll try not to let this go without and update for so long. Until the next time!

**Glossary**

Ἑκατοντάκις καὶ κιλιάκις ἀστραψάτω! Κιλιπλ Ἀστραπέ! - Hekatontakis Kai Kiliakis Astrapsato! Killipl Astrape! - Hurl down lightning one hundred times and even one thousand times! Thousand Thunderbolts!


	6. The Pervin' Ermine

**A/N: **Go ahead. Shoot me if you must for making you wait so long for an update. I've been extremely busy as of late with work and all and haven't really had the inspiration to write. Let me say now that there will be no set release date for new chapters. They will come and go as I get the time to write. Anyhow, on with the show.

**DISCLAIMER: **Just to refresh your memories, I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey Manga, and all respective proprietors.

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Chapter 5: The Pervin' Ermine

"How is she, Shizuna-sensei?" Ako asked in a worried tone of voice.

The bespectacled woman lifted her stethoscope from the pink-haired girl's chest. Removing the device from her ears, she turned to the lavender-haired girl, Asuna, Ayaka, Yue, and Negi.

"She's all right. I think she just probably fainted out of fright. There's nothing wrong with her, although I will keep her here for the night, just to observe her. You can have a few minutes with her if you need to." With that, Shizuna stood up and left the infirmary, sliding the door shut behind her. Negi turned from Makie's sleeping form to Ako, inquiring, "Do you know what happened to her, Izumi-san?"

"I was walking along Sakura Lane after helping Shizuna-sensei here in the infirmary," Ako said, her voice still full of worry, "and I happened to be walking along Sakura Lane to get back to the dorms when I found her in the middle of the walkway. She was just collapsed in a heap and unresponsive. I went to try to find you, but you weren't in the classroom. One of the girls from Class D said they had seen you go into the library."

Negi nodded his head slightly.

"Thank you for telling me about this, Izumi-san. I'll stay here with her until Shizuna-sensei returns. Why don't you go back to your dorms and try to get some rest."

The lavender-haired girl would've protested, but the boy's warm, reassuring smile somehow comforted her. She stood up, bowed politely to Negi, and proceeded to depart from the infirmary. As the door shut behind her, Asuna held a hand over Makie, an aura of some sort forming about it. The boy turned to her and asked, "What are you doing?"

Asuna closed her mismatched eyes while saying, "I don't think Maki-chan fainted. I'm sensing some sort of strange energy about her; something almost sinister."

Negi had seen this sort of spell used before. There was no known incantation to it. Rather, it used the magic power of the caster to create an aura to reveal any hidden wounds or signs of magical energy inflicted upon the victim. A few seconds later, Yue started slightly and said, "Look at Makie-san's neck." He turned his attention to where the philosopher was pointing. There, on her neck, were two puncture marks. What worried Negi was the fact that they were evenly spaced from each other and perfectly aimed right at the gymnast's jugular.

The redhead opened her eyes as well and removed her hand from above Makie.

"What the… is that a vampire bite? But there are no vampires that I know of here on campus."

Ayaka spoke and said, "I have heard rumors floating about from some of the girls in class B and our own about a vampire that stalks Sakura Lane. Personally, I think it's nothing more than a rumor, but knowing about magic, it seems the rumor is true."

Negi quailed slightly at the mention of vampires. Yue, however, was less than agreeable. The very idea of a vampire made her scoff. But then again, she reminded herself, if magic was possible, then vampires could be a distinct possibility. But why would one bother to travel all the way to Japan? Weren't there more than enough feeding grounds on the European continent?

Putting her thoughts aside, the purple-haired philosopher inquired, "But if it was a vampire, shouldn't Makie-san be a vampire too?"

Negi then thought of something. If Yue was right in asking, and since Makie had no sign of becoming a fledgling, then was it really a vampire, or was it someone impersonating one? Perhaps a stalker who preyed off of schoolgirls? The very idea made Negi sick, and his blood boiled at the thought of anyone who would do such a thing. Asuna shook her head.

"There are two kinds of vampires in the world. There are your Western vampires, which can turn people like you and I with a bite. However, in order to fully turn their victim, they must give the victim a bit of their blood as well. Then there are _shinso_ vampires."

This caused the boy mage to start violently. He had heard the tales of the purebred vampires, those who were turned by an ancient, pagan ritual and not by conventional means. If the ritual were to become botched, then the victim would die a horrendous, painful death. However, if the ritual succeeded, then the victim would become a fledgling without any visible markings denoting their transformation. If one were to be bitten by a _shinso_, the victim would not be fully turned but, rather, would only fall under the control of the sire.

The damage and mind control were easily reversible, but how could one keep this from the students? If they had learned that Makie had been attacked on Sakura Lane, then it would only add fuel to the fire and cause a panic. He turned to the redhead and asked, "Can you fix the damage and hide the wounds?"

Asuna shook her head.

"I can't use magic, although I do know about a cure that doesn't require magic, granted you have the supplies I need. However, I don't think we can keep this secret for long. Ako-san will have probably told half the class by now…"

This perplexed the young mage. Then again, he recalled, Asuna did not explicitly state whether she was one or not. His thoughts went back to the eraser incident a few days earlier.

_Could it be that…? No… I'm getting too much ahead of myself. My students should come first before I contemplate these things._

Not but several hallways down, Dean Konoe turned to the girl sitting in the chair across from his desk, a stern look etched upon his wrinkling features.

"I've told you once before that you cannot be doing this. How many times must I tell you before you'll learn your lesson? You fail to realize why he sealed you here in the first place."

The girl stood up, knocking the chair she had been seated in over on its back.

"Don't you dare bring that up again, old man," she cried angrily, "When I finally break free of this prison, you'll be the first to die. You've done nothing but made my life miserable here."

"Which, may I remind you, is a result of your violations. You've had many chances to atone for your sins, but every time, you fall back. That is why you've been here for so long. You keep doing things like this, which only lengthens your stay here. Remember what he told you to do."

The girl scoffed and said, "Are you finished yet, old man?"

The old dean sighed, sat down, and replied, "You may go, but remember what I have told you."

The girl turned on her heel and proceeded to leave the room. Before she slammed to door behind her, she heard the geezer say, "Learn to live in the light for a change. It is there you'll find salvation from your crimes."

* * *

_The Next Day_

"Did you hear what happened to Sasaki-san of Class A?"

"Yeah, I heard from Izumi-san of Class A that she had fainted in the middle of Sakura Lane."

"Sakura Lane? You mean the one that they say a vampire haunts?"

"Oh please. Vampires don't exist. They're just a Western myth stemming from a novel. Besides, even if a vampire existed here, you'd think that the church on campus would've sent someone to hunt it down, right?"

"Hey, isn't that the kid professor of Class A?"

"Aw, he's so cute!"

Asuna glared at the gaggle of girls that were now pointing at and gazing at Negi with lovesick expressions. Ayaka merely made a look of pure disgust whilst muttering in a most disapproving tone of voice, "Shotacons, the lot of them." Konoka, who was keeping up on her rollerblades as usual, giggled and said, "Oh, Iinchou, just relax. Just a typical schoolgirl crush is all it is."

It wasn't so much the leering gaze of junior high girls that made Negi worry but, rather, how quickly the news spread across the campus. As they made their way into the classroom, after dodging various gaggles of schoolgirls and navigating a few hallways, all eyes turned to Negi as he entered. Whilst Ayaka, Konoka, and Asuna took their seats, one of the girls stood up and asked, "Negi-kun? Is Maki-chan all right?"

The boy teacher turned to the speaker, Yūna Akashi, and said, "She's in the infirmary right now. Shizuna-sensei is keeping her there just to make sure she's fine."

"Was she attacked by a vampire?" the Narutaki twins, Fūka and Fumika, fearfully inquired.

"Don't be ridiculous. Vampires don't exist," Ayaka replied. Negi silently thanked the Class Representative for trying to dissuade any panic that could potentially rise up.

"Ayaka is right," Asuna agreed, "She probably overworked herself and fainted from exhaustion traveling back to the dormitories."

Kazumi Asakura, Class 2-A's gossip hound and journalist, put a pencil to her chin contemplatively as she voiced her thoughts.

"If it were a vampire, it would make a great scoop; my breakthrough report would finally be recognized."

"That's our Asakura, always looking for her next big scoop," Haruna chuckled.

"All right girls, let's just settle down now. Please turn to page 205 and follow along."

The rest of the lesson went along fairly well. The only interruption occurred when Makie re-entered the classroom. The girls surrounded her and asked her a multitude of questions concerning her incident. The gymnast said that she didn't remember much of anything, except that she swore she had seen a shadow coming at her before she blacked out. After that remark, it took Negi and Ayaka several minutes to try to calm down the panic that had ensued from the more fearful members of the class.

* * *

_Later That Day in the Library_

"_Practe Bigi Nar Ardescat!_"

A tongue of flame appeared at the moon-shaped top of the wand. Negi applauded and said excitedly, "Well done Yue-san. You've successfully cast your first spell. How did it feel?"

"To ask one how it feels to cast a spell is trivial," the philosopher said in an almost bored yet interested tone of voice, "But it felt rather interesting."

Asuna walked over toward the two of them. Putting her hand on Yue's shoulder, she stated, "You have a lot of potential, Yuecchi. Perhaps you can teach this brat a thing or two about… *sniff* *sniff*" The redhead sniffed the air about her gingerly, her nose wrinkling in disgust. She then turned to the young mage and proceeded to sniff him gently.

"No offense, Negi-bozu, but how long ago did you take a bath?"

The boy started, then stammered, "Well, s-since I g-g-got here, I really h-haven't had the chance to take one."

"Well, we have a nice public bath at the dorms. There are also showers in each dorm room," Ayaka proceeded to say.

"Go and take one. I don't need some ten-year-old brat stinking up our room. Konoka does a lot to keep it looking neat and clean."

"Well, I would. It's just that…" Negi said, his voice lowering to a barely audible whisper. Yue leaned close to catch what he was saying.

"Apparently, Negi-sensei hates baths," she said in her signature tone of voice.

In a lightning-quick movement, Asuna had taken ahold of the boy teacher by the collar of his dress shirt and began dragging the flailing figure toward the bath house.

"Hates baths, does he? You're not going to stink up my room!"

Naught but a few minutes later, Negi found his undressed body being hurled into a large pool of some kind. Asuna stood to one side in her swimsuit.

"Honestly, you're a ten-year-old and you have to have someone bathe your body for you. What kind of a teacher are you?"

The boy finally surfaced, the water reaching to just under his neck.

"I'm your teacher," he gurgled, "You're not supposed to treat me like…"

His voice trailed off as he looked about in awe at the sight about him. Surrounding the warm pool were tropical plants and trees of a large variety. About three or more smaller pools dotted the large room. A sauna stood to one side whilst an entrance to the changing rooms stood at the opposite ends.

"_This_ is the public bath house?" he found himself asking in awe.

"Just for the junior high dorms," Asuna said as she waded into the water, soap in one hand and shampoo in the other. "Now, let's get you squeaky clean."

Negi tried to swim away, but the redhead was much too quick for him. Grabbing him by the nape of his neck, she hauled him over toward a small wall of shower heads. She turned one on and started shampooing his hair. A few minutes later, Ayaka and Yue came in, each in their own swimsuit. The blonde moved toward them.

"Can you use any help?"

"If you can just make sure he doesn't bolt from me that would be great."

As she washed him, she continued to chide him, "Ten years old. For your sake, I hope this doesn't have to become a nightly ritual."

Negi, who's eyes were closed to prevent shampoo suds from getting in them turned toward her voice.

"Well, I'm actually on my tenth year."

"What?" Asuna almost shouted. At this, she began to scrub his scalp furiously, "You mean to tell me you're only nine years old?"

"Ow! Ow! Stop! I'm nine years and nine months!"

Yue's voice came in from over in the large pool.

"Asuna-san, if you continue with that, he won't have a scalp left, let alone any hair."

Relaxing her scrubbing a bit, she muttered under her breath, "I wonder how Nagi would feel if he knew his son was being such a big baby."

Unfortunately for her, Negi caught her remark.

"How do you know my father?"

Mentally slapping herself on the forehead, she quickly replied, "Who doesn't know about the legendary Thousand Master?"

"Asuna-san! Iinchou-san! Don't hog Negi-kun all to yourselves now!"

Both friends and their teacher started violently as Makie came in with the rest of Class A following right behind her. The redhead waved her hands violently.

"Makie-chan, this isn't what it looks like!"

"We were merely helping Negi-sensei bathe," the Class Representative added.

"Let us take over then," chimed the voices of Misa Kakizaki, Madoka Kugimiya, and Sakurako Shīna, Class A's resident cheerleaders. Before either could Ayaka or Asuna could move, the class had swarmed them, removed Negi from their grasp, and dragged him into the large pool. The two friends lay for a moment, merely stunned from the sudden stampede.

"Wh-what was that?" Ayaka asked, gasping for air.

"That was a stampede of pubescent teenage shota-cons," the redhead replied.

Suddenly, a scream rent the air as something fast moved through the air and water, disrobing most of the class. Asuna leaped upright, grabbing her back brush and swatting at the intruder as it moved toward her. Whilst the rest of the class were still in turmoil, Asuna grabbed Negi out of the confusion and said, "Let's get back to the room before they find out you've been rescued."

* * *

_Back at Asuna, Negi, and Konoka's Room_

"Phew, thanks for that Asuna-san."

"It's nothing, alright?"

Negi looked about him as Ayaka pondered, "I wonder what caused that mayhem back at the bath house."

"That would've been yours truly, Toots!" said a gruff, small voice from toward the small coffee table in the middle of the dorm. Three heads turned toward the table. Standing on its hind paws was a white ermine with a cigarette in its hand. Negi rushed forward and said, "Chamo-kun, what are you doing here?"

Asuna wrinkled her face in disgust.

"If there's one kind of creature I can't stand the most, it's ermine fairies."

The little ermine turned to her, a look of hurt and dejection on his face.

"That's harsh of you, nee-san. The name is Albert Chamomile, though you may call me Chamo for short. I'm merely here because I felt it in my best interest to help Aniki here look for a partner."

"Uh, Chamo," Negi sighed, "Let's not get too hasty about this."

The redhead reached forward and picked up the ermine by the scruff of his neck with one hand whilst she squashed his cigarette with the other.

"Let me make two things clear. If you are planning to stay here, you cannot, and _will not_, be preying on any of the girls in this dorm complex. I know how you ermine fairies think. And two, _no cigarettes_."

"Fine! You win! Just unhand me will ya! That hurts!"

Dumping the flailing Chamo unceremoniously to the floor, she rubbed her temples and sighed heavily.

_How much worse can this get?_

* * *

**A/N:** Please read and review. Up next, how will Chamo go about finding Negi a suitable partner. And what of the mysterious vampire attack. Will the perpretator reveal themselves at last?


	7. Rise of the Dark Evangel

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own _Mahou Sensei Negima_. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey, and all other respective proprietors.

* * *

Chapter 6: Rise of the Dark Evangel

The sunlight gleamed in through a sliver in the curtains, shining upon the sleeping Asuna's face. Cursing her rude awakening, she sat up, noticing Negi still in the bunk next to her.

_Guess this is something I'm going to have to get used to_, the redhead thought as she climbed off her bunk and went to retrieve a fresh pair of undergarments from her drawer. Much to her horror, she found the drawer completely empty.

_What the…?_

Realizing there could only be one suspicious figure she opened the closet door and found the culprit nestled amongst her and Konoka's panties. The said culprit opened his eyes and looked up, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Good morning nee-san!" the ermine said nonchalantly, "I trust you slept we..." Before he could finish his comment, the irate redhead grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Taking him over toward the window, she opened it and held the now flailing Chamo just outside of the opening.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't dispose of you right now," Asuna demanded.

"Come on, nee-san!" the ermine pleaded, "Give an ermine fairy a chance!" This was not enough as he felt the redhead's grip slowly loosen. Fortunately for him, and much to Asuna's misfortune, his screaming had awoken Negi. The young mage leaped off the bunk and said, "Don't do it Asuna-san!"

"Only if you make this perverted creature promise he won't go snooping through the panty drawer again!" she said angrily. The ermine saluted her and replied in a panicked voice, "I swear on the kami that I won't do it again! Just give me a chance, please!" Bringing him back into the building, Asuna brought his eyes level with her own mismatched eyes.

"The next time, this happens, you won't be so lucky," she threatened menacingly, "I'll make sure that Negi-kun isn't around, then it's curtains for you. Do you understand me?"

"Crystal clear, nee-san," the pitiful creature replied tearfully. Negi turned back toward the bunk, surprised to see that Konoka was still sleeping.

"I'm surprised that Konoka-san slept through all that," he sighed in relief.

"You're just lucky she's a heavy sleeper. I don't know how you would've explained a talking ermine to her," the redhead said as she walked over toward the dorm's kitchenette, grabbing a few ingredients to prepare a light breakfast. Negi had grown accustomed to eating light meals in the past few days, saving some room for Konoka's delicious dinner preparations. However, his thoughts still dwelled on the presence of the vampire that could possibly be haunting the grounds of the campus. There hadn't been any attacks since Makie, but if he had read the patterns right, the next strike would be in the near future.

Both Asuna and Chamo picked up on this, the latter asking, "What's wrong Aniki? You seem to be a bit troubled."

Negi was about to speak when Konoka started stirring as the smell of breakfast hit her nostrils. The redhead said, "**We'll talk about this later.**"

* * *

_That Evening_

"So, how do we proceed with dealing with our vampire problem?" Yue asked as she punched a straw into the juice box she held in her hand, proceeding to sip straight out of it. If there was one thing that no one in class 2-A understood, it was the purple-haired scholar's penchant for drinking strange beverages. This time, she was drinking a combination of coconut milk and green tea, something that no one else would probably dare ever try.

Chamo turned toward the scholar with a grin.

"Simple, purple-haired nee-san: we find the young mage here a partner, and I found the perfect one!" As he said this, he reached into Negi's bag and pulled out the class roster. Four pairs of eyes followed his movements as the little creature rifled through the roster. With a triumphant yell, the ermine took his paw and set it down on the picture of a girl with shoulder neck-length purple hair that covered her eyes.

"Nodoka-san?" Negi asked in surprise.

"What makes you think that Honya-chan is suitable partner material for Negi-bozu?" inquired a skeptical Asuna, "And do you even realize how young he is? He's not ready for a partner yet." Honya was a nickname that most everyone in the class had given the ever shy Nodoka. This was in part for her immense interest in books. Many of them joked that the purple-haired librarian would live in the library if ever given the opportunity.

Chamo waved his paws energetically, saying, "You misunderstand me, nee-san! We'd be establishing a temporary Pactio. And why not! She's young, intelligent, and very attractive! That, in my eyes, makes perfect partner material, even if it is temporary!"

"But should we even be dragging her into the world of magic?" Ayaka inquired, voicing her doubts.

"That would be something to take into consideration," Yue agreed, "Nodoka would no doubt be open to magic, but we shouldn't drag her into this right now, not when we're dealing with a vampire."

"They're right Chamo," Negi said, standing up. "I cannot bring Nodoka-san into something dangerous. My duty as your teacher is to protect you from whatever harm may befall you."

He flinched as Asuna whopped him one on the back of the head.

"And it's my duty to make sure you don't go jumping in over your head. You're still ten years old. Don't go thinking that you can do everything in the world. As for this perverted creature," she said, affixing her gaze on Chamo, "You're just in it for some profit, aren't you?"

All the ermine could do was quail under the redhead's gaze and mumble something incoherent under his breath. Both he and the redhead knew that Negi was innocent, perhaps too innocent.

_I'm gonna have to do my work when this overbearing nee-san isn't around, _Chamo thought as the discussion soon turned to a lesson. He watched admiringly as Negi taught Yue some more basic spells other than lighting fire at the tip of the wand. _However, maybe I can convince this nee-san to become his partner…_

"**Practe Bigi Nar: Venti!**"

Yue brought her wand down, causing a light zephyr to blow through the room. Negi applauded her loudly.

"Well done, Yue-san! You're progressing very fast; much faster than I thought you would. It won't be long before we can move on to some more advanced combat…"

He never got the chance to finish as a loud scream rent the air. Before anyone else could react, Negi flew right out the door as Asuna called behind him, "Baka! Wait for us!"

Negi ran down the cobblestone streets of the campus grounds, his instinct telling him to head toward Sakura Lane. Pointing his finger down at his feet, he called for the wind spirits to lighten him, making his footsteps lighter and much quicker. He rounded the corner down the straightway that was Sakura Lane, seeing a small figure bending their head in toward the still form of Nodoka Miyazaki. His blood boiled even further at the fact that such an innocent girl would be targeted by such a foul creature. Raising his staff, he cried out, "Stop right there!"

The figure looked up, it's face covered by a large witch's hat. Cursing herself for getting caught, she turned and fled, hoping her intended quarry would pursue her. But just in case…

"**Frigerans Exermatio!**" she cried out, quickly pulling out two vials of fluid and smashing them together. As the fluids combined, bolts of whitish-blue energy flew outward and toward Negi, who was now cradling the young librarian's unconscious form in his arms. Pushing his staff toward the bolts, he cried out, "**Deflexio!**" The energy bolts turned into shards of ice, some of them pushing past his temporary barrier. One of the shards cut his cheek as the rest shredded some of Nodoka's clothing.

_Humph, so he is truly his son after all, but I'll see if his rage and honor will lead him after me._ The figure then rounded the corner and vanished from sight. Negi cursed under his breath, knowing very well that he couldn't pursue the attacker and leave Nodoka to fend for herself. However, fortune would have it that Asuna, Ayaka, and Yue came upon the pair. The purple-haired scholar quickly rushed to her friend's side and shook her.

"Nodoka, wake up! Please!"

Turning to the three of them, the young mage said, "You three stay here with Nodoka-san. I'm going after the attacker!" In a lightning-quick movement, he mounted his staff and flew off into the distance. Asuna stomped her foot angrily at his foolishness. Turning to Ayaka and Yue, she asked, "Will you two be alright by yourselves here?"

"We'll be fine Asuna," the blonde Class Representative said, "Just make sure Negi-sensei doesn't hurt himself."

* * *

Negi finally caught sight of his quarry, amazed as to how much distance she had covered in such a short amount of time. Realizing that he needed to try to slow her down, he pulled his wand out of his shirt pocket. Raising it he yelled, "**Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister! Evocatio Valcyriarum Contubernalia Gladiaria!**" As he finished this, several copies of Negi appeared, each wielding swords. The only difference was that these copies were made out of wind energy. The vampire turned and took stock of the situation before going airborne.

"**Age Capiant!**" the young mage cried, causing his avatars to go after their intended target.

_So, he's using wind sprites to try to catch me? He's going to have to try better than that!_ Reaching into her sleeves, the fleeing figure pulled out two more vials and smashed them together, shouting, "**Undecim Spiritus Glaciales: Couentes Sagittent Inimicum! Sagitta Magica: Series Glaciales!**" At this, eleven arrows made of ice energy flew toward the copies, destroying each of them. The vampire smirked to herself and continued flying away from Negi.

_She's using catalysts, so she can't be a full-fledged mage. I'm just going to have to keep going until she runs out of vials or she gets away, and that won't be an option. _Gritting his teeth together, Negi once again called upon his wind clones to pursue the fleeing vampire.

_Tch, he's a persistent one, isn't he?_ Grabbing some more catalysts from her sleeves, she continued to fire salvo after salvo of ice arrows at the sprites, but they continued to come. She went to round a corner when another group of sprites came right at her.

_Damn, I didn't expect him to do that!_

She managed to evade the attackers, but Negi was nearly on top of her. He knew she had barely anywhere to go. Pointing his wand at the vampire, he incanted, "**Undecim Spiritus Aeriales: Vinculum Facti Inimicum Capient! Sagitta Magica: Aer Capturae!**" The vampire barely dodged the ropes of air, but at the cost of having her cloak shredded. With no way to fly, she landed nimbly on the rooftop of a nearby building, the young mage landing a short distance from her. Using her hat to shield who she was, she baited the boy.

"**Well done. Your persistence has shown very well. Since I have nowhere to run, you may do with me as you please.**"

Negi stowed his wand and pointed his staff at the vampire. He began to incant a spell, but another figure landed on the roof and rushed toward him. The newcomer buffeted him in the face, causing him to lose concentration. Shaking off the sudden attack, he stared in shock, the face of the assailant staring right at him from his mind. A name came to face as he pictured his class roster.

"**Chachamaru Karakuri? Student Number 10?**"

What shocked him even more was that Chachamaru appeared to be a robot. Two, antenna-like ears stood out from long green hair, her equally green eyes devoid of any emotion. Bowing in politeness, she said, "**Good evening, sensei**."

"**Chachamaru, enough with the pleasantries. Seize him!**" the little vampire ordered. The robot responded with a monotonous, "**Yes Master**," and grabbed Negi in a headlock before he could move. The vampire began to chuckle darkly, walking slowly and methodically toward the struggling figure.

"**Finally, after fifteen years of this hell, I will be free. And it's all thanks to you, Son of the Thousand Master!**"

Negi stopped struggling for a brief second, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

"**How do you know who I am?**"

"**Simple,**" the vampire responded, "**Your father was the man who imprisoned me here. And as soon as I drink your blood, I will be free from this prison to do as I please.**"

"**But why me? And who are you exactly?**"

Baring her fangs, the vampire replied, "**Who I am is of little concern. All that you need to know is that you will not live to see tomorrow. Pity; I would've thought that you would've been a challenge to face. But you are not only young and honor-bound, but very stupid and gullible. You took my bait perfectly, and now you will pay the ultimate sacrifice.**"

She began to lean in toward his neck when someone shouted, "**Get away from him, creature of the darkness!**" The vampire looked up as Chachamaru turned toward the voice, allowing Negi to get a glimpse at his savior.

"**Asuna-san! It's too dangerous!**" he called out. Meanwhile the vampire rolled her eyes and said, "**I don't have time for this. Lic Lac La Lac Lilac!**" Without warning, a blast of golden energy came from nowhere and slammed into the vampire, causing her to fall back and nearly fall off the edge of the roof. Chachamaru was grazed by the blast causing her to lose grip of Negi, the latter scrambling to safety behind Asuna. The redhead held her arms out protectively, eyeing the vampire as she tried to shakily stand up. The gynoid knelt down next to her and assisted the creature up.

"**Master, are you injured?**" she asked in a voice that was hinted with worry. The vampire shook off the crackling energy that remained behind.

"**I'll live,**" she replied weakly, her hat falling off of her face. Negi started slightly, recognizing her face from the roster as well.

"**Evangeline-san? Why would you attack your fellow classmates?**"

Asuna shook her head.

"**No, Negi. She's just more than a vampire. Does the name Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell ring any bells?**"

The young mage shrank back even further, now clutching Asuna fearfully.

"**You… you… you don't mean to… t-t-tell me tha-tha-that sh-sh-she's…**"

"**Well done boy. You figured it out much quicker than I thought. Indeed, I am the **_**Maga Nosferatu**_**; the Undying Mage; the Apostle of Darkness. You're Magic Canceller student here may have saved you, but don't expect her to save you again. The next time, I will get my revenge, Negi Springfield!**" With a swift turn on her heel, she and her gynoid partner leapt off the roof and out of sight. Asuna turned around and looked gently at the shivering figure that clutched on to her like a child does to an older sibling or their mother.

"Hey, you alright, Negi-bozu?"

The boy crumpled into her arms and sobbed openly, both of fright and of joy that he had been spared an early grave. In a sisterly manner of affection, Asuna found herself stroking the top of his, comforting him in a reassuring tone. She knew that she would have to reveal who she really was much sooner than she had hoped.

_Hopefully, he can handle that on top of nearly being killed by the Dark Evangel. I'm going to have to let Dean Konoe know about this before she attempts to strike again.

* * *

_

**A/N:** Go ahead, shoot me if you must. But don't say I didn't warn you that I would have no fixed release date. Although that probably doesn't even matter to most of you. Hopefully I delivered well enoguh to satisfy your needs. I'll try to get the next one out within the next 30 days, but no promises. magicafan1989 signing out for now!


	8. Who Are You?

**A/N**: I know, I know. You all probably want to do horrible things to me right now. But I already warned you that I was not making any promises on updates. I haven't really had the time to work on this nor the motivation. However, I have some motivation right now, so I'll try to have the next chapter out in a little while, but rememer: no promises. Okay?

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own _Mahou Sensei Negima_. All rights belong to Ken Akamatsu, Kodansha, Del Rey, and all other respective proprietors.

* * *

Chapter VII: Who Are You?

Negi did not sleep well that evening. Just knowing that the infamous Undying Mage was a student in his class caused him to be panicked. Morning came soon, the sun shining upon his bloodshot eyes. A hand laid itself on his shoulder, causing him to nearly jump out of his chair and scream slightly.

"Take it easy, Negi-bozu. It's just me."

Negi turned to see Asuna with a semi-concerned look on her face.

"You didn't sleep at all last night?"

"H-ho-how could I… when o-o-one of my s-s-students… is the m-m-most f-feared vampire in the world?"

Sighing in dejection, she helped steer him toward the small table where breakfast was laid out. Looking around, the young mage asked in concern, "Where is Konoka-san today?"

"She has an _omiai_," the redhead snorted as she dug into her breakfast.

"An arranged marriage meeting?" asked the small voice of Chamo as he leapt up onto the table, helping himself to some of the fruit.

"Uh-huh. Her grandfather is very adamant about finding a suitable partner for her. After all, her family has a very prestigious history."

Negi knew exactly what Asuna meant. The Konoe family was one of the five Regent houses in Japan, not to mention one of the oldest clans. Because of this, Konoka was indirectly a member of the royal family, making her a princess of sorts. However, most everyone knew her as a normal, everyday teenager. No matter the conversation, no one ever brought up her status or her family's history.

"But seeing as the old man is a mage himself," the ermine mused, "that means that the young nee-sama is slated to take over the magic association in this region."

"If she's the Dean's granddaughter," Negi asked nervously, "why hasn't Evangeline attacked her yet?"

"Because Dean Konoe is a powerful mage," the redhead replied, "She knows she can't do anything with his granddaughter. If she does, she's gonna end up in a hell of a lot worse condition than what she is now."

Chamo scratched his head, a puzzled look crossing his features.

"What do you mean by 'a lot worse condition', nee-san? How could she be in bad shape if she's the most feared vampire-mage in the world?"

"Simple," Asuna replied, "There's a magical barrier in place around the campus. This is primarily in effect due to the curse placed upon her. She cannot leave the school grounds beyond the established barrier. There is also a secondary barrier in place the severely dampens her magical powers. If she tries to cast magic at all, she would need catalysts in order to give them any power at all."

Negi sighed only in slight relief. Even though Evangeline could not use magic, there was still the fact that she had a partner. This caused two conflicts to be grappled with. On one hand, he knew that he would need a partner if he were to even stand a chance against the combined efforts of the vampire and Chachamaru. On the other hand, he did not want to endanger Yue, seeing as she was the only one of his students (with the exception of Asuna and Ayaka) that knew about his status as a mage.

There was also another matter that had been nagging at the back of his mind. Deciding to act on it at the present time than to wait later, the boy joined his student and familiar at the table.

"There's one more thing," he said, "Evangeline-san mentioned something about you having Magic Cancel, Asuna-san. Is it true?"

The redhead sighed. She knew she had to reveal her gift to Negi sooner or later, but she didn't expect him to remember the vampire's remark after all he had been through.

"Yes, Negi, it's true," she said, dropping all honorifics and speaking in English. "I am a Magic Canceller."

* * *

"Evangeline, are you there? Open up this instant."

Silence greeted the waiting Takamichi. Knowing about the attack the previous night, he had taken it upon himself to attempt to talk some sense into the undying mage. He prepared to knock on the door again when it opened, revealing the green-eyed robot that kept the little vampire vigilant company. Smiling lightly, the greying man greeted her.

"Ohayō gozaimasu Chachamaru-kun. Is Evangeline in this morning?"

"Master is feeling rather ill this morning, Takahata-sensei," the robot replied in her usual monotone. "Perhaps I can relay your message to her?"

"Actually," the man replied, "this is a personal matter that I must discuss with her. Can I come in please?"

Bowing in respect, Chachamaru stood aside, allowing the teacher in to the small cottage. When the vampire had been first imprisoned within the campus, Dean Konoe had found it in the students' best interest and personal safety to keep her away from the others so she would feed off of them. On rare occasion, when blood was in lacking supply, Evangeline's power faded and she would become like a Mundane, a normal human. Takamichi had reasoned that if she were feeling ill, then she was in that state of weakness.

Upon entering the living room of the cottage, a pair of small footsteps made their way from the stairwell to his left. Turning, he saw the rather irate owner of the residence, her eyes red and puffy with her blonde locks in a mess.

"What the hell do you want?" the vampire snapped in a bitter tone of voice, "I don't recall inviting you over here."

"Just thought I'd drop by," the teacher replied in a tone of indifference.

"Don't play coy with me. You've been sent by the old man regarding my recent activities."

Takamichi sighed as he began, "Look, I know you're frustrated with being here, but if you keep this up, you'll only lengthen your time here. The only thing I ask you is to leave Negi alone. He has done nothing to…"

Evangeline slammed her hand down on the railing.

"Oh, but he has!" she shrieked in anger, "His presence here is a constant reminder of the man who imprisoned me here! And the sooner I drain him of every last drop, the sooner I can be gone of this place!"

"Master, please be careful," Chachamaru intoned from the kitchen where she was preparing tea for her undead master. "You mustn't strain yourself, or you'll grow weaker."

Attempting to regain her composure, the little blonde said in a strained tone, "Anything else you have to say, before I drain _you_?"

"Try as you might, Eva, you don't have the power to do so," Takamichi replied in his indifferent tone of voice. He turned to leave the cottage, saying, "Leave the boy alone. It won't do you any good in the end."

* * *

"You see, Negi," Asuna began as she cleared the table of dishes and headed toward the kitchenette, "Magic Cancel is something that only a few people are born with. It's a very rare power that can be potentially exploited if someone were to gain control of your body or focus that power."

"So, it was you who caused the eraser to fall on my head then," the boy mage replied. "But as far as I can remember, Magic Cancel only affects spells within a certain range of the Canceller. How were you able to negate my levitation spell when I was out of your field?"

The redhead reached into her shirt and pulled out a small, elaborate key that was dangling about her neck.

"That key-charm must be what she uses to extend her field, Aniki," Chamo stated. "Would I be correct, anee-san?"

Asuna nodded as she continued to speak.

"I never knew my parents. Ever since I could walk and talk, I was kidnapped by a group of mages who sought to use my power for their own purposes. I would still be under their clutches had it not been for your father, Negi."

"So you do know my father!" Negi cried out in a half-excited tone. "How exactly did he rescue you?"

"I was six at the time that he rescued me. A group of mages who had opposed my captors had summoned monsters to kill them. My power was to be used again when your father came along with a few of his friends. They destroyed the monsters and released me from my 'chains'. He vanished a few months after that, and I was left in the care of Takahata-sensei. He eventually adopted me and allowed me to keep my surname."

As Negi could only gaze in awe, the redhead continued to clean the dishes.

_At least he believes me. I can't let him hear the truth… not yet at least._

"But if you're that powerful, maybe you can help me defeat Evangeline!" the young mage cried, interrupting her thoughts. Turning to him, she said, "Negi, just because I'm a Magic Canceller, it doesn't give you the right to run away from your fears. This is a fight you must face. I can guide you, but I will not fight it for you."

"But… but… Asuna-san, why…?"

After putting away the dishes, she went toward the dorm's closet and pulled out a large hiking bag. Tossing it at Negi, she went to her drawers and pulled out a few sets of clean clothing.

"Come on. Get packed up. We're going on a weekend trip."

"Where to, exactly?" the young mage asked, even more confused now than what he had been before.

* * *

Read and review as always. After all, they are food for the mind of the author, and as of late, my mind has been starved.


	9. Training in the Mountains

**A/N:** I am well aware that many of you wish to shoot me now, but please, hear me out. As of late, I've been lacking in motivation to write chapters for this story. So, as a fair warning to you now, updates may be sporadic on this story as I'm currently working on a vicious plot bunny attack. Feel free to check it out. But for now, enjoy the latest chapter in the Requiem saga: Training in the Mountains.

* * *

Chapter VIII: Training in the Mountains

"Well, we're here," Asuna said as she set down her backpack and stretched her back. Negi came up a few steps behind her and nearly collapsed from exhaustion and the weight of his bag. After catching his breath, he glanced about him. They were on a rocky outcrop that sat adjacent to a cascading waterfall. Evergreens of all variety surrounded them. From what he could see, there was no sign of civilization for miles. Not even Mahora was visible from their location. Turning back, he noticed Asuna beginning to set up a tent.

In the blink of an eye, something moving at a blinding pace bowled into the redhead. However, she steeled herself and began to spar with the offender. Negi reached for his staff in an attempt to assist Asuna, but the latter was much too quick. The young mage then saw that the intruder was none other than Kaede Nagase.

The young woman, whose throat was being held lightly by the redheaded teenager, nodded at Negi, saying, "Ohayō gozaimasu, Negi-sensei. I must say, however, Asuna-dono, you have improved much in the past few years."

"Well, I really haven't had the opportunity to be up here as of late, what with studies and all of that," Asuna replied, scratching the back of her head in modesty. The redhead released the squinting young woman, the latter inquiring, "So, what brings the two of you to my most humble training grounds, de gozaru?"

"It's more for him than it is for me," Asuna replied, pointing at Negi whilst he was setting down his backpack. "But I think I'll let him be with you for a while. I'll head out and gather some fresh greens for lunch."

"Arigatō gozaimasu," Kaede replied, bowing her head. As soon as the redhead had disappeared into the woods, the young woman sat down next to Negi on the rocky outcrop, their feet dangling off the edge. Not one to be blind to the young mage's turmoil, she inquired, "There is something that weighs on your mind, Negi-sensei. Mind sharing with me what it may be de gozaru?"

Negi looked downward at the raging river below as he replied, "I'm not sure, Nagase-san."

"Please, call me Kaede," the young woman replied.

"Okay Kaede-san. I guess my problem is that I'm unsure of what I can do. I let two of my students get attacked. As a teacher, I should be responsible for my students and their safety. And, in a time where I could have been braver, I fell in fear. I feel as though I'm a failure because of that."

"I think," Kaede replied as she looked up to the sky, "that in great times of trial, you rely too much on other people because you doubt your abilities as a mage de gozaru."

"What?" Negi almost screamed in shock, "How did you know?"

"I've worked with Asuna-san before in her past. In fact I taught her how to use a technique called Shundō, so I got to learn a bit about her and mages in general. Even then, you did not exactly make it terribly discreet when you first came here. When you are trained in the arts that I am, you learn to see things that any ordinary person would miss de gozaru."

"What exactly are you trained in?" the young boy inquired.

"Now, now, sensei, that would be revealing too much about what I do. However, I can say that you need to learn how to do things on your own and to rely on your own skills instead of the skills of other people de gozaru."

"But how can I?"

Kaede stood up. Walking toward a small point where the outcrop was level with the river, she gestured and said, "Let me show you."

* * *

_Back at Mahora_

"Negi-sensei? Asuna-san? Are you in there?"

Yue frowned slightly as there was no reply. She proceeded to knock on the door again when it opened up slightly, revealing the small ermine.

"Ohayō gozaimasu, nee-san. If you're looking for Aniki and the red-headed nee-san, they have gone on a weekend training trip."

"And how come they didn't take you with?"

Chamo looked around carefully before beckoning Yue into the room.

"It's best if we talk in secrecy. I have something very important to talk to you about."

The purple-haired mage-in-training followed the ermine in and closed the door behind her. Turning back to the little creature, she said, "Can you make this quick? Nodoka and Haruna are expecting me at the library, and I told them I'd be about five to ten minutes."

Climbing up onto the coffee table, Chamo proceeded to say, "I know you are aware about the vampire who attacked your friend, the bookworm. But what you may not be aware of is that she is an extremely powerful mage who was imprisoned here for crimes she committed. Aniki nearly lost his life to her."

Yue nodded slightly.

"But what does this have to do with me?" she inquired skeptically.

"Remember our discussion we had yesterday regarding probationary contracts? I'm sure I'm probably stepping outside of my bounds here, but would you be willing to form a contract with Aniki?"

"What exactly does this contract entail?"

Pulling out a sheet of paper and pencil from thin air, the little ermine fairy began to sketch on it whilst he explained, "Since Aniki is in a probationary stage, he cannot form a full-fledged contract, or Pactio, as we call it. What we would be doing is forming a temporary Pactio between the two of you. You see, when it's formed, he will imbue you with some of his power so that you can assist him in the event that he would need your help."

While the idea seemed absurd to her, Yue figured there were two motives behind Chamo's request: either the ermine was genuinely concerned for the safety of his master, or he was in it for whatever profit that Asuna had mentioned. Since it seemed to her that it was both of them, she said, "It sounds like a reasonable plan. So, how would we go about forming this contract?"

"That," the ermine replied, "may be the part where you change your mind. You see, in order to properly establish the contract, you have to give Aniki a big wet one on the lips."

The purple-haired girl turned several different shades of red, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head.

"B-b-but," she sputtered, "that's improper. I can't kiss him. He's only ten years old. If Haruna were to find out, she'd harangue me to no end."

"She wouldn't know anything," Chamo tried to reason. "Besides, we're talking about your teacher's life on the line here."

"Now you're putting pressure on me to do this, and I haven't even given you a proper response yet. Look, just give me some time to think about it, alright? I'll have my decision when they get back."

As she proceeded to leave, the ermine called out, "Mind you, he can't form this with anyone else except the Iinchou and the red-headed nee-san. You three are the only ones who know about his power, and that's a secret he can't afford to let out."

* * *

"You see the fish there, sensei?"

Negi thought he would have to strain his eyes to see into murky water. However, to his surprise, the water here was very clean and clear. Without any effort, he peered into the river and saw the animals in question.

"They're chard," Kaede continued, withdrawing a few kunai*. "They're plentiful at this time of year, especially in waters like these." With a lightning quick motion, she hurled the small knives into the water, nailing three of the fish whilst the others scattered. Stepping into the water, she retrieved her catch and set them aside on a flat rock. Handing the knives to Negi, Kaede said, "Your turn, de gozaru."

"But," the young teacher protested, "I'm not a ninja like you, Kaede-san."

"Who said anything about me being a ninja?" the young woman inquired, "Even then, I've no idea what you're talking about. As far as using those kunai, it's all in the wrist. Go ahead. Don't be bashful."

Negi took the weapons from his student's outstretched hand. Clutching them between his fingers, he took careful aim at the water. Once a few of the chard came into view, he flung the small knives into the water with no success. The startled quarry fled, causing the young mage to hang his head in defeat.

"Pretty good for your first try," Kaede encouraged, "but you need to flick your wrist, not your hand, like this."

In several blinks of an eye, the young woman had positioned herself in several different locations, nailing the fish left and right. Negi stared with wide eyes.

_She's got to be a ninja! No ordinary person could do that!_

After catching a fair amount of chard, Kaede was leading Negi to the top of the waterfall, reasoning with the young mage that the best vegetables were at the top where the forest sat near the water. This wouldn't have bothered the mage in the least, except for the fact that they were free-climbing up a near vertical rock face with no harnesses.

Most of the day's activities consisted of gathering firewood and other necessities for meals. The young woman had used various techniques, including using shadow copies to gather a large amount of firewood and leaping up rock structures with no aid, betraying the fact that she had been trained in some degree of ninja arts.

When early evening had come by, the young teacher and his two students had regrouped at the small campsite, dining on the fire-grilled chard and wild vegetables. Asuna ate in silence for the most part. However Negi turned to Kaede and proceeded to speak with her.

"You truly amaze me, Kaede-san. You are capable of many things that most people aren't capable of doing."

"Now, now," the young woman replied, waving off the remark, "you give me too much credit, Negi-sensei."

Stretching out a bit, she stood up and proceeded to begin filling a large oil drum with water. Negi balked at the sight of it, fearing the worst of it.

"Am I going to have to take a…"

"Look, Negi-bozu," Asuna said, "you're going to have to get used to it sooner or later."

"Don't worry, sensei," Kaede added, "You'll enjoy this type of bath very much."

The moon was slowly peeking its way over the forest as night had fallen. Asuna had retired to her tent for the evening whilst Kaede attended to Negi. The young woman was definitely right. The young mage sighed in contentment as the warm waters relaxed his slightly aching muscles. He turned toward her as she knelt down, adding a few more pieces of kindling to the small fire that kept the water warm.

"This is amazing, Kaede-san. I might get used to this soon."

"I'm glad you like it," she replied, taking off her garb until she was in a swimsuit, "but don't hog that entire drum now, de gozaru."

Negi turned a deep shade of red as he began to protest, "But I'm a proper British gentleman. I can't possibly bathe in the same tub as you."

"Nonsense. Now just scoot forward a bit."

The next few minutes were spent in silence until Negi spoke up in saying, "I guess what also amazes me is that you're only fourteen, and yet you always seem calm."

"And what about you?" she replied. "You're ten years old, and yet you're a mage with great potential. Not only that, but you're a teacher too."

"That's the problem," Negi replied, sinking deeper into the water. "I'm hopeless as a teacher. Look at me. I failed to protect both Makie-san and Nodoka-san."

"Getting depressed again, are we de gozaru? Look, I know you're a mage, and I've already noted that you tend to run away from obstacles that jump out at you. I don't know what your current obstacle is, but it seems to me that you are unsure of what to do either."

Negi turned his head to face her in shock, amazed at the wisdom coming from Kaede.

"Tha-that's right!" he replied whilst thinking, "_That's a ninja for you…_"

"It's only natural," the young woman continued, "that you'd run into one or two obstacles here or there. Relying on others to solve those obstacles is natural, but unnecessary. Wanting to run away from those obstacles isn't shameful, however."

"But…" Negi attempted to say in protest.

"Don't let that worry you. Just rest well tonight, and worry about your obstacles in the morning. And if you ever have trouble again, you know how to find me. I'll be here with a nice warm bath for you too."

"Kaede-san…" the young mage replied, "Thank you… for everything you've told me."


End file.
